Research Awards
September 2023
Dr. Brian Waldron, associate professor of Civil Engineering and director in the Center for Applied Earth Science and Engineering (CAESER), was awarded $486,180 from the Shelby County Government for his project “SC business signage mapping,” $179,949 from the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) with the Federal Highway Administration for his project “TDOT vehicle collisions,” and $10,096 from the University of Tennessee - Knoxville (UTK) with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) for his project “Improved remote-sensing imagery techniques to identify riparian corridor characteristics in headwater streams and inventory wetlands, lakes, and permanent streams in West Tennessee.”
Dr. Jennifer Mandel, associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, was awarded $478,371 from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for her projects “MRI: Track 1 Acquisition of a fluorescence activated cell sorter to advance multidisciplinary biological research and training at the University of Memphis” and “NSF-GRFP-Serena Blais 2023.”
Dr. Farhad Jazaei, assistant professor in the department of Civil Engineering, was awarded $450,000 from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for his project “Track 1: Acquisition of a Micro Computed-Tomography (microCT) scan machine.”
Dr. Sarah Leat, assistant professor in the School of Social Work, was awarded $328,585 from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) for her project “Peers Engaging and Empowering Recovery (PEER).”
Dr. Lan Wang, Dunavant Professor in the Department of Computer Science, was awarded $261,656 from Peraton Labs Inc. with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) for her project “Mission-Integrated Network Control (MINC).”
Dr. Richard Irwin, executive dean of UofM Global in the College of Professional & Liberal Studies Center for Regional Economic Enrichment, was awarded $200,000 from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) for his project “Opportunity Now.”
Dr. Kelsey Harrison, program coordinator and assistant professor of Sculpture in the Department of Art and Design, was awarded $109,978 from Ford Motor Company (Blue Oval City in MI) for her project “Blue Oval City Public Monument and Class.”
Dr. Gregory Boller, associate dean of Academic Programs & Research and associate professor of Marketing in the Department of Marketing & Supply Chain Management, was awarded $98,237 from the Economic Club of Memphis for his project “The Economics Club of Memphis.”
Dr. Stephanie Ivey, professor and associate director of the Division of Transportation and Logistics with the Center for Applied Earth Science and Engineering Research in the department of Civil Engineering, was awarded $74,183.29 from Leidos Incorporated with the Federal Highway Administration for her project “FHWA Office of Operations Support Services.”
Dr. James McCutcheon, associate professor and graduate coordinator in the Department of Criminal Justice, was awarded $72,773 from the City of Memphis Police Department (CMPD) with the U.S. Department of Justice (US DoJ) for his project “Evaluation of Sexual Assault Kit Testing.”
Dr. Brian Meredith, assistant vice provost and associate dean in the Graduate School, was awarded $61,875 from the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) for his project “TN Doctoral Scholars Program.”
Dr. Philip Pavlik, associate professor of Experimental (Cognitive) in the department of Psychology, was awarded $52,758 from Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) with the National Science Foundation (NSF) for his project “Improving STEM K-12 learning using optimal spaced retrieval in Podsie, an existing adaptive educational technology platform.”
Dr. Tenderano Muzorewa, in the FedEx Institute of Technology, was awarded $50,000 from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for her project “I-Corps Proposal ML for CVD Diagnosis.”
Dr. James Adelman, assistant professor in the department of Biological Sciences, was awarded $49,000 from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for his project “GRFP: Do behavioral types predict pathogen spread via suppressed sickness behaviors?”
Dr. Fawaz Mzayek, associate professor in the Division of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Environmental Health, was awarded $46,204 from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for his project “Tennessee Heart Health Network: Implementing Patient-Centered Practices in Primary Care to Improve Cardiovascular Health.”
Dr. Rory Pfund, research assistant professor in the Department of Psychology, was awarded $45,881 from the International Center for Responsible Gaming for his project “A Meta-Analytic Research Domain of Psychological Treatments for Gambling Harm.”
Dr. Richard Bloomer, dean and professor in the College of Health Sciences, was awarded $44,383 from Lumanity with Mirparm, LLC for his project “Impact of a topical cosmetic product intended to promote the health and beauty of women's hair.”
Dr. William Jackson, assistant professor in the Department of Earth Sciences, was awarded $34,736 from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) for his project “Geology of the Enville 7.5-minute quadrangle in Chester, Henderson, and McNairy Counties, Tennessee.”
Dr. Kristoffer Berlin, professor of Clinical Child, Adolescent, and Family Studies in the department of Psychology, was awarded $27,882 from the University of Tennessee - Knoxville (UTK) with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for his project “Translating basic habituation research to childhood obesity treatment.”
Dr. Lindsey Feldman, assistant professor id the Department of Anthropology was awarded $27,290 from Innovate Memphis for her project “Ethnographic Support for City Innovation.”
Dr. Susan Neely-Barnes, professor, director and chair in the Department of Social Work, was awarded $25,000 from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) for her project “Memphis Social Work Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students (MSW-SDS).”
Dr. Wesley James, founding executive director of the Center for Community Research and Evaluation (CCRE), interim chair of the department of Anthropology, Pat E. Burlison professor in the department of Sociology, and faculty affiliate in the department of Public Health, was awarded $15,000 from the Town of Inverness for his project “Evaluation of the Mississippi RIVER Collaborative.”